25+ Best Parallax WordPress Themes (Updated 2016)

The Parallax technique has been around for a long time, but was first introduced as an illusionary effect in the design of websites in 2011. The Nike Better World website, which was designed by Ian Coyle, employed multiple backgrounds, with varying depth of fields, or parallax, to create the illusion of animation. The technique gained more popularity when Apple introduced the effect with the iOS7 operating system.

With the growing popularity of WordPress and accompanying themes, the parallax effect, can easily be adopted as a feature of one of the attractive trends in web design. This cool effect is created when the backgrounds scroll at different speeds, creating a 3D effect. The value is largely aesthetic, with a much more appealing browser experience which website visitors will appreciate. Enclosed, is a list of some of the outstanding themes that have employed parallax scrolling to produce some equally outstanding WordPress themes.

Dynamix

Dynamix is a beautifully designed theme that makes effective use of parallax scrolling. It also include very powerful features that can help to create some outstanding websites. Dynamix is easy to use, and some of the special characteristics include the ability design pages individually, use the Drag and Drop Visual Page Builder.

It is one of the few themes that allow website admins to create their own skins, giving almost total control with fonts, images, background colors, and content placement. The theme offers a wide range of compatibility with several other popular plugins, such as WooCommerce, BuddyPress, and includes quite a few of the valuable applications such as Visual Composer, and Slider Revolution.

Multiple page layouts, Custom pages, headers, and easy to use plugins are included in the strikingly attractive theme from Themeva. It is easy to get started with the one-click installation of the demo, and from there, the limit is your imagination and creativity.

Parallax

Parallax is a single page them, with very attractive scrolling features. The single page feature can be used effectively in mobile responsive sites, as there is less activity required of the user, who may be interacting with smaller screens. The infinite scroll feature results in less loading of pages, and ultimately quicker responses. Other outstanding features include custom headers and expandable portfolios, which allow viewing of more content on the expanded views.

Multiple images can be used to showcase items in separate portfolios there are even more impressive features such as the easy viral effect from social networks. Parallax theme includes six custom widgets that can be used to publish other forms of content, such as images, media feeds, markup, recent comment, abstracts, and categories. The developers; Themify are currently offering a limited time, buy-1-get-1-free promotion, with the purchase of the theme.

The attractive features can be used to build impressive sites that may be specially suited to serving sites that display portfolios. The attractive features are sure to impress and encourage return visits.

Main Features

More than 600 Google fonts

Custom social icons

Drag and drop page builder

Compatible with multiple browsers and devices

Evolve

Fully responsive and Retina ready, Evolve is a multipurpose WordPress theme, that includes some outstanding parallax scrolling effects. It can be used for a wide variety of purposes that include corporate multi page sites, simple blogs, portfolios, or eCommerce storefronts.

The Evolve theme has been developed using the latest HTML5 and CSS3 coding techniques, and complies with current standards as established by WordPress. The theme includes a lot of powerful flexibility, with the use of some advanced parallax features. Text is rotated over the parallax images, in the blocks of the images to produce some pleasing and stylish effects.

Customizing the sites is an easy process that can be done without needing access to codes. With access to the admin control panel, users can adjust pages with the addition of widgets, megamenu styling, images and an unlimited selection of colors.

Evolve is highly rated, because of the clean minimalist coding style and impressive typography.

Main Features

5 Built-in sliders

Unlimited colors and patterns

Drag and Drop web page builder

2000 scalable vector icons

Adobe and Google fonts integrated

Custom skin creator

Bridge

Because of all the many features that are included, it is easy to think that the Bridge theme, would be a complex application, however, it is in fact easy to use for building attractive sites, and an impressive collection of documentation is available. Bridge can be used for a number of different types of sites such as fashion sites, real estates, landing pages, restaurants, or even news or education related services.

Bridge is loaded with features that include 24 layouts from which to choose, and there are 100 demos that can supply some immediate inspiration. The theme has been rated as the top theme for 2014, and it may be for more than just the striking design. The developers have included an amazing set of features that make the SEO friendly theme one of the top choices. We think that some of the reasons it is highly rated may be, because of the easy customizing, and two amazing packs of icons.

Main Features

Twenty four layouts

100 demos

600 Google fonts

Extensive documentation

Perfecti

Perfecti is cleanly designed, in a unique creative manner to present a powerful WordPress theme with an incredible amount of flexibility. The options and variations appear to be without limit. Perfecti includes multiple headers, and one of the most valued feature, maybe the page builder from the developer, Evatheme. It also includes multiple layout choices, and several very handy utilities, such as the advanced Revolution Slider.

Without going into great depth the Revolution Slider, some of the capabilities include interesting unique transition effects, multimedia support; an image preloaded, and controlled auto play that stops on user interaction.

Modifying the layout style is as easy as a button click, and even more customization is accessible with the easy choice of attractive backgrounds. The developers also pay a lot of attention to detail, and even 404 pages are included and they can also be customized.

Inline customising is also available to users, who have the option of changing view sizes. Posts can also include author details for enhanced discovery, and promotion of authorship.

Main Features

Contemporary design

Persistent updates

Unlimited color options

Online documentation

Port

Port is a stylish and sleekly designed parallax-enabled theme with a beautiful refreshing minimal appearance. The navigation of Port is unique, and makes some time to get used to the effective use of real estate that keeps the menu hidden, and only displays when the icon is clicked.

Sleek and stylish, Port can be used as an Agency or creative service themes that would choose to feature portfolios. Feature an unlimited number of items in the menu, and with selected layouts, several custom widgets can be placed on the page.

The advanced options on the theme item of the menu, allows the customization of filterable portfolios, and with the custom widgets, suitable content can be added in positions that seem appropriate. Adding content is an easy process, enabled with the extensive list of short codes. Get as fancy as you wish, with more than 600 Google fonts, and the bundle also includes three pre-built template to get user off to a flying start.

ThemeTrust also offer a very enticing offer of a free theme with the purchase of a licence.

Main Features

Custom widgets

Filterable portfolio

Support Localization with WPML

Slideshow

Fully responsive

Eight Degree

Eight Degree is a stunning parallax theme with beautiful typography and an equally stunning design. Simple in the sophistication, Eight Degree successfully combines bold headers, and clever paragraph placements with an interesting use of white spaces for a really pleasant and memorable user experience.

Unique effects can be created with the parallax slider, and there are several different versions of the sliders that t can be used to create different effects. Keep the visitors engaged with the animations that can be customised. The effects are used in special content areas, such as testimonials, and the Flexslider that displays transition effects.

Eight Degree includes three different styles of navigation styles, and almost 700 Google fonts. You can use any of the nine different headers, and there are 48 icons that represent the different fonts for customized typography. Pre designed Portfolios are also customisable and filter can be applied for categories. making the theme very suitable for services and arts based industries, such as freelancers and designers or photographers.

Main Features

Flexible design

Powerful Scroll Animation Generator

CSS powered Animations

Layered Parallax Backgrounds

Story

Story is a unique WordPress theme. It is SEO friendly, and includes a heavy set of features that contribute to it becoming one of the more popular themes in its categories. Two of the more prominent features are the full screen slider, and the Advanced Portfolio gallery, the full screen slider is available as a fade slider that can be used to embed content in posts, and there also is a Content Slider that contains features customizing other areas with multimedia, such as text audio or video content.

Because of the design, Story is very versatile, and can be used for a variety of businesses that include freelancers, corporate sites, and even personal blogs. The theme also supports WooCommerce, for the easy establishment of a store. Get started by quickly installing the demo with a mouse click.

Users will be impressed with the extensive detailed documentation that is readily available, and outstanding parallax effects can be used in different areas and elements around the webpages.

Main Features

Custom Headers

Megamenu

Support WooCommerce

Ajax Gallery

Jarvis

The Jarvis theme has been described as amazing, and reality is, that this may or may not be far away from the truth. The Design firm, RockandRolla has created something unique. It begins with the generous features that they have included.

It includes 13 different home pages, which can all be customized. The parallax effect, when used with the one-page theme, in flat design is not something that visitors will leave in a hurry. It is one of the few themes that has integrated auto responders, and with MailChimp, it is now much easier to keep in contact.

Many of the most desired features are included, with some advanced and very powerful page options. Shortcode generators, Ajax portfolio, WPML translation, Premium slider, Contact Form are all available, and with all of the tools, building a top rated site becomes a cinch.

There are many more features, and with the knowledge and top rated support, the design team at Rockand Rolla embody the continuous improvement concept, making Jarvis one of the top-selling WordPress themes.

Main Features

14 unique homepage variations

Includes several short codes,

Supports video background

six navigation styles,

Mail Chimp support,

Font Awesome integration,

Responsive design

Scroller

Scroller is a top selling one-page theme with amazing parallax scrolling. It includes some attractive full-screen sliders. It can be best suited for agencies, photographers, designers and other who wish to showcase portfolios, and in the modular style, along with the minimalist design, portfolios can be easily brought to the forefront

The theme design is clean and fully responsive, and operates smoothly with easy page and image transitions. It can also be used for business websites and is fully compatible with other plugins such as WooCommerce, Contact Form 7,Yoast Seo, W3 Total Cache, and others. The theme includes a detailed set of documentation in addition to the various video tutorials, and even more support is available from the team.

The bundle includes two variation of the full screen slider, and with the multiple shortcodes, that are included, you are free to design your layout, the way you want and when you wish. There are no tabs in the unique design, and page transition is smooth and quick.

Main Features

modular and scroll homepage,

responsive,

unlimited color schemes,

shortcode generator,

post formats,

Custom post types.

Vortex

Vortex is designed with CSS and HTML5 for easy mobile response across various browser and screens. The design is bold, but not overwhelming, which makes the one-page theme, very easy to use.

The transition and animations effects are smooth, and they nicely complement the modern layout.

Vortex can be customized at any time, to give your site a fresh new look as coat of paint, but it obviously is a lot less work and less hazards are involved as there is no risk with the use of material handling. It is a multipurpose theme that can be used across creative or corporate services, and one of the remarkable features, is that it is fully customizable. In addition to the responsive design, the Vortex theme includes extensive documentation and PSD files as part of the package. The parallax-enabled theme is also fully complemented with the use of additional creative effects with the use of attractive icons, hover effects, and a remarkable slider of featured images on the homepage.

Main Features

Supports image and video posting

Flat design

Includes Live color change

Google fonts

Flexslider

Zerif Pro

Zerif Pro is designed for use in creative services, but it can be much more. The features make this a really outstanding theme for the value. A few of the prominent features include the parallax effect that can be used to create engaging pages, for delightful user experiences. It is built in a flat style with bold and attractive typography that remains unobtrusive.

It is apparent that a lot of planning was involved in the development of the theme as an extensive amount of flexibility is included. Developers offer the ability to change the order and positions of individual sections which are published as block or modules. Any element can easily be customized from the WordPress options panel by editing characteristics such as fonts or colors.

Vortex gets top billing because of the features that include not only aesthetics, but exceptional functionality, such as compatibility with Woo Commerce, and a great list of custom widgets for content publishing.

Main Features

Supports WooCommerce plugin

Moveable sections

Includes multiple custom blocks

Fully responsive

Altitude Pro

There are a few selective themes that present as much value from premium themes such as Altitude Pro from Studio Press. User can have the confidence of knowing that there is practically no learning curve required to create some remarkable websites, with no experience.

A quick installation of the demo is all that is needed to get started. Confidence is reinforced with easy access to the detailed tutorials, and even more confidence can be built with practice of the powerful Genesis Framework, that is also included in the theme bundle.

The parallax-enabled effects are attractive, and additional features will help to create even more outstanding and engaging features for more enjoyable user experiences. Typography can be customised with multiple color styles and backgrounds that can be used with the customizer.

The design is minimalist which contributes to faster responses; to boost earlier discovery, but it also improves appearance and user experience with sparse typography and effective use of white spacing.

Main Features

Custom Headers and Backgrounds

Attractive Landing PAGE

Full Mobile Response

Includes dedicated Theme Customizer

Options Panel enabled

Relevance

Relevance is contemporary theme designed for multi-purpose usage. As an attractive landing page for featuring a product or service, Relevance is totally appropriate. It can also be used as site to feature service oriented content, such as portfolios or photography, prints or design work. The fashion industry will also find Relevance to be a useful theme.

Intelligent use is made of parallax scrolling, as the effect is noticeable, however not blatant or obtrusive in many of the blocks of content, as seen in the demo. The design is trendy and colorful, but retains a subtle variation in colors to keep a professionally sophisticated appearance. For easy customization, the included Visual Page Builder plugin can be used for easy customization with dozens of short codes, multiple color edit options, and a large number of varied page layouts.

Relevance includes most of the necessities for effective site management, and the theme offers a wide degree of cross-browser compatibility, and can support easy translation with the WPML plugin. A basic theme that includes professional development techniques can be used to produce SEO friendly sites that are sure to impress.

Main Features

Unlimited color options

Support Hi Res images

Video Documentation

Support local translation with WPML

XML file included

Athletica

Athletica is a Retina supportive Parallax One Page WordPress Theme. The design is clean and lean, and while the theme supports the popular WooCommerce plugin for enabling ecommerce transactions, it can also be used for personal blogs, portfolios, or service-oriented businesses.

Athletica includes the popular Isotope plugin that allows the filtering of posts with selectively generated tags. Using the detailed documentation, makes customizing easy, and supports is also top rated.

Six different styles of the home page are included, and there are ten other templates available. Flexibility and the ability to express creativity are some of the most outstanding characteristics of Athletica.

Color selection is unlimited as the color picker allows the blending and custom creation of colors. The theme also supports the embedding of multimedia files.

The developers at AvaThemes are continually testing the use of some advanced techniques, and regular updates can be expected. There are many more features included with the very attractively designed theme, such as the easy social media account feed integration, multiple grid style layouts, and tons of short codes for adding additional content.

Main Features

Ultra Responsive Design

6 Homepage Versions

Intuitive Short code Generator

Tons of unique short codes

Usable in both visual & text tabs!

Extensive Theme Options

Typography Options

Swag

Swag combines a unique design with a very impressive set of powerful features. The bundle includes four different types of sliders, and custom widgets to integrate social media feeds from Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Eight different styles are included for more custom variation, and even the WooCommerce plugin can be adjusted if needed. Three different layouts for the blog, which can be further customised is offered, and there are multiple shortcodes for generating elements, such as buttons and accessories, rotating testimonials, pricing tables, a filterable portfolio and an array of functions.

The Swag theme is overloaded with more than 200 backgrounds patterns, a stylish contact form and several hundred Google Fonts. With additional pages for service, team, and portfolios, this theme can be used for almost any online presence. The QuickShop feature, powered by WooCommerce, means that. It is easy to sell any product or service. The parallax backgrounds, along with other effects create an even better user engagement.

Main Features

One Page Design

Parallax Effects with Multiple Sliders

Multiple Portfolio Styles

Widgets for Social Media Feeds

Quickshop with WooCommerce plugin

Wunderkind

Wunderkind is a unique creation with some very outstanding features, and although it is a new production, it can only be expected to improve, and when it does it can quickly become one of the top themes, if is not already.

You cannot help but be impressed with the presentation, which is really slick and outshines others. The parallax background is used innovatively to attract users, although it was very slow to load, and this may be due to various reasons. Backgrounds can be video, or images on the full screen-slider, and with the parallax scrolling, visitors when enjoy the experience, and are very likely to return.

Some interesting effects can even be created with the headers and footers. The advanced styling on the home page can be used to create even more anxiety as visitors are likely to click thru to other pages to see what else there may be. The animation is interesting, but does not overpower, and can be used creatively. Unique tricks, such as embedding videos in the footer will help engagement.

Main Features

eight built-in page layouts,

drag-and-drop page builder

WooCommerce plugin integration,

unlimited color schemes,

Font Awesome

Szia

Szia includes a number of different animations and parallax effects in an elegant and uniquely designed single page theme. It is simple, yet powerful, while operating cleanly and efficiently.

The demos illustrate the capability of the built-in loader with a beautifully designed full-width image.

The full-width slider includes multiple features or enhanced unique User experience, with alternating use of light and shadows for emphasizing specific elements. Pages can include section for team members, and even more stunning effects are used to increase user engagement.

Many of the features are built-in and can be activated if desired. Along with extensive documentation and full service support, the developers Szia also offer free installation.

Szia is also full customiseable, and with multiple features such as shortcodes and even a timeline, Szia may be one on the best values in parallax supported themes. Fully responsive and easy to install, the theme also includes a slider that support touch contact for easy transitions.

Main Features

3 Home page Layouts

Responsive Layout

Clean and Elegant design

Predefined Colors

wide Cross browser compatible

Touch slider

Morpheus

Morpheus makes good use of parallax effects, that visitors cannot help but be enthralled. You can get started with a quick install of the demo and take the parallax effect to another level.

The enthralling effects are evoked when images, videos or sliders can be used with the parallax effect on any page. Google fonts are included, so you can create your own typography, or get as amazingly creative as you wish.

Unlimited variations for layout are also available as a new though process to website building is introduced. A new thought process is introduced to make web design an efficient a simple process as pages are built with vertical sections, and it can all be done mostly with the amazing set of shortcodes.

Four of the common sites are pre-built, to get you off to a flying start, and almost everything else that you made is available making Morpheus another one of the top-sellers.

Main Features

Fully responsive design

Varied one-page or multi-page layout,

multiple display options,

Includes five demos

multiple slider options,

Portfolio showcases with multiple display options.

Avatar

Avatar is one of the parallax scroll themes that still manage to efficiently emphasize functionality. It is a one-page site, which can be used for various situations, and 13 examples, demos and home pages are provided. The parallax scroll is used quite well in the one –page site that also include multiple options and opportunities for customization. The parallax effect can be used, not only on the home page, but almost anywhere on the site, and the developers have made customizing easy.

After a one click launch to install the site, there is a seemingly endless list of components available that can all be used in building what can be the best site possible.

Dropdown menus, Google Fonts, Easy translation with WPML, wide cross-browser compatibility, lifetime updates, and support and a host of other features may actually mean that this may be the last WordPress theme that you may evert need for your site.

Main Features

Includes 13 pre-made demos

visual drag and drop content composer

Font Awesome integration,

unlimited colors,

video backgrounds,

responsive site structure,

Free lifetime support.

Jkreativ

Jkreativ makes clever use of the parallax-enabled scrolling effects that is really smooth and fluid that is almost imperceptible. Designed in the minimalist style, the fast loading theme includes some powerful functionality to create beautifully simplistic effects. Functions such as the WooCommerce plugin is included, as well as the Revolution Slider, and users are given more flexibility with page loaders, and a unique 360 degree view image slider.

Jkreative was also built to be SEO friendly, providing the additional boost in search engines, with an enabled Google Authorship script.

Customizing the Jkreative theme is easily done with the WordPress Customizer tool, which is relatively intuitive, and the flexibility and creatively is expanded where changes can be previewed in real-time before they are published.

Additional customization is done with additional menus, an advanced short code generator, and filter portfolios, which can be protected with passwords. Page loaders are also included to help with publishing content, as the ability to upload new edits, can be done with a click.

Epic

Elegant, smooth and very appealing, are the words that will describe this exciting theme from Jellythemes. The choice of building a one-page or multipage site is offered are there may be several benefits to the one-page, however, this setup, may not be for everyone.

Options, such as full-screen slider, video and parallax backgrounds are available with one-screen option and even more creativity can be used with the multipage option.

The number of variations and options and features are limited by your imagination, as there are options to change colors, images, backgrounds, navigation styles and or menus in each section.

Any of the eight different skins can be used as the starting point, from which you can build and customize pages in the modular fashion.

If you are comfortable with coding, you may recognize the clean and well commented style that makes it easy to follow. Users will also love the easy navigation feature, where the menu is always present for direction to other pages without scrolling.

Main Features

one-page or multi-page structure

Includes visual composer

12 homepage variations,

video parallax,

SEO friendly

Creative

The background parallax effects of this theme can be described as outstanding. Creatives, is as the name suggests suited for creatives. Aesthetically, the design is clean with an effective use of white spacing in the menu and background, creating a remarkable visual impact.

Customization is easy, and with the clever navigation, Creatives offers a truly remarkable user experience. Visitors can be attracted to the portfolio section that displays past or current projects, and it as just as easy to share content with friends and followers on the social networks, using the powerful GK Tweets and Comments plugin.

There is no shortage of customizing options, and full control is accessed from the admin panel, where it is possible to change, layouts, colors, page widths, and almost anything else that is desired. The theme is also fully and easily customisable, and you can even create your own shortcodes using the newly developed parallax engine, to do as you please.

Main Features

Responsive design,

easy to customize,

stunning and original parallax effect

social media integration

Integrated portfolio.

Ness

This Ness theme is simple modern and elegant, with a heavy emphasis on imagery. Ness from Cubellthemes appears to be created for sites that use images in areas such as photography. It is a newly designed theme with a very promising future. Modern and minimalist in design, Ness can also be adopted for many other uses.

Full screen images can be embedded without the use of shortcodes. There are a few additional optional features, such as the attractive light box, and mobile response, which can be toggled from the admin control panel. Theme also includes touch friendly sliders, and translation is enabled with .mo and .po files that are included.

Ness also supports video content and it is an easy process to upload multimedia files or create a gallery or slideshow. The theme is also highly interactive, and with the classic combination of black and white, this theme is sure to attract visitors, with an interesting blend of favorable UX and desirable functionality.